Tell Me Something
by sinfullysarcastic
Summary: "Call me if you need to talk to someone, Patricia," he had said./ Pason. Possible two shot.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own House of Anubis.**

**Written because Pason hurts me in unimaginable ways. **

"And I _have _to find her, Mr. Winkler, you don't understand! Joy's my _best friend-_"

Jason sighs before placing his hands on her shoulders. He doesn't even think it might be wrong until Patricia jolts up as if she was just electrocuted- right, she's his student. To some degree, Jason considered her an equal and often times, he had to remind himself he was a great deal older. She had needed comforting, so he had tried to comfort her without thinking.

"Patricia," he says firmly, taking his hands off her shoulders and stuffing them in his suit pockets. "You need to calm down."

"_Calm down_?" she echoes, and it's in that moment he knows exactly _why_ he considers her an equal. During class, she might be his polite student, but after, she's a waterfall of emotion that occasionally yells and screams at him in times like this. In a way, they both seem to have forgotten their position in society when they talk of Joy's disappearance. "I can't _calm down_! Joy's missing, and I don't know where she is, and no one will give me a straight answer, and nobody even believes me!"

"I believe you," Jason offers before guiding her over to one of the desks. He sits next to her for a moment and waits for her breathing to slow down, waits for her to relax. And then: "Tell me about your day, Patricia."

"_What_?"

"Your day," he replies calmly. The way Jason sees it, Patricia needs to focus on something simple. She needs to take her mind off of Joy, and sometimes the best way to do it is to engage in small talk. Something that doesn't overwork the brain. "I want to hear about your day."

"Why?" she asks warily.

"I'll tell you about my day, first, if that helps," Jason says. "I graded twenty-six tests today and only two of them had 'A's'."

"Mr. Winkler, I don't quite understand-"

"For one minute, Patricia," their eyes lock and Jason's voice drops in the quiet classroom. "For one minute, don't think about what's wrong right now. Just think about something easy…tell me something I don't know about you."

"I didn't study for the test you gave us earlier," Patricia offers, looking nervous, as if there's a right or wrong answer.

Jason chuckles, "I know, your grade's a C."

"This morning, I had pancakes for breakfast and Jerome and Alfie started a food fight."

"Did you participate in the food fight?"

"A little bit. Trudy came in and made us stop, though."

"And how are your classes going?"

She's visibly slouching, relaxing. Jason's made it a point to not ask anything too personal or provoking, and he can tell that the questions seem to be helping. Talking like this is like a break from real life, a trip away from the complicated mind.

"Alright, I guess," she shrugs.

Jason nods before asking another question, and then another, then another. And with each question, she stops eyeing him as if he's a maniac. She cracks a laugh at one point and even though she's his student, it's like talking to a friend.

And maybe he's being daring as they stand up ten minutes later and Patricia mutters an embarrassed thank you. Maybe he shouldn't do it, because she's a _student_ and if this leaks out, it won't be pretty for him. Not that it's a romantic gesture of any sort, really, but others may perceive it that way. Patricia might perceive it that way.

Nevertheless, he rips out a small piece of paper and scribbles down his mobile number.

"Call me if you need to talk to someone, Patricia," he says earnestly, and Patricia looks up at him with worried eyes and then back at the scrap of paper. "Don't hesitate, okay?"

Wordlessly, she nods, taking the paper and pocketing it before heading out of the room. He's not sure what she thinks- her face has remained emotionless all the while.

It's only the next day when he gets home does he realize his phone is buzzing. _Patricia_.

And so Jason picks it up, and he listens to her talk on and on, and he listens because no one else does, and she sounds so full of worry that _he _becomes full of worry, spending ages trying to remind her not to do anything rash. Because he's come to know Patricia Williamson, and many things she does without thinking. Many of her actions come back to hurt her more than anybody else.

"Thank you for calling me, Patricia; I'm glad we had this discussion."

"…me too, Mr. Winkler."

* * *

A choked sob escapes her throat as she leans against her door. A sick feeling churns inside her as her mind goes into overdrive, thoughts and emotions stirring until she's not even sure about anything.

Humiliation.

Was Patricia just Eddie's little toy of sorts, a distraction, perhaps? In America, he had told her he _loved _her- she had never said it back, but he had seemed so earnest when he said it, and to get with someone else while dating her…ouch. That one hurt worse than anything else- and she had to find out from his _laptop_, not even him.

How _could _he do that though? Eddie might have been a bit of a player his first week at Anubis House, but some part of Patricia had thought she changed that. Maybe she had been hopeful enough to think that this relationship was getting serious, that the pieces were finally falling into place, that she was finally_ ready _for it to get serious.

It obviously wasn't though- the other girl, whoever she was, had captivated his attention in more ways than one.

Eddie had _lied _to her.

And suddenly she's crying harder, faster, until she's down on her knees in her room, pressed up against the door as if someone might actually come in at this time of day. Everything's muddled and complicated and everything's simply _wrong_, worse than she could ever imagine. Patricia's head hurts, until she can't even decipher what's fact and what's feeling. And the crying was making her cough uncontrollably, and her nose was feeling stuffed-

_For one minute, don't think about what's wrong right now. Just think about something easy…tell me something I don't know about you._

Tell me something I don't know about you. Think easy.

_Call me if you need to talk to someone, Patricia._

Don't hesitate, Patricia.

And with shaking fingers and a tearstained face, she reaches towards her phone and down her contacts list to 'Winkler,' a name she hasn't touched in two years. Did the offer even still stand or was she just desperate for someone to talk to? Sharing feelings had never been on her list of priorities at times like this, but Jason…two years ago, he had listened. When every friend she had ever made at this place, a good five years of memories with these people, hadn't taken the time to listen to her, Jason had. The new teacher, who had known her for the entirety of one week, had decided to believe her. And so she had come to him with the search for Joy, and slowly, all of her problems. How everyone thought she was crazy. How nobody talked to her for fear she'd start about a conspiracy. How Jerome and Alfie cracked jokes at her expense, but they were meaner this time because they were discussing something _serious_. In return, Jason had shared some of his problems too. In a way, they had kept each other in check. When somebody made a wise crack in class about the search for Joy, Mr. Winkler would tell them off and discreetly send Patricia a look. And when Patricia found out that Ms. Robinson looked almost painfully like Jason's ex-girlfriend, she sent _him _sympathetic looks. It wasn't much, but it was _something_. Somebody cared.

And that's what Patricia needed right now- for somebody to care. _Anybody_.

_Don't hesitate, Patricia._

She presses the phone to her ear and listens to the rings pass…one…then two…then a third…and then-

"Hello?"

"Jason?"

**I could make this into a two shot if there's a demand. Tell me what you thought; I love hearing feedback!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own House of Anubis.**

**So thanks to all to the positive reviews, here's part two! :)**

She holds her breath as nobody says anything. Has he hung up already? No- she would hear a dial tone if that was the case. Patricia's voice is pretty memorable due to its thick British accent, which meant…Jason should've recognized it. She recognizes his.

"…Patricia?" his voice comes out in barely a whisper and she stifles a sob. Once she starts crying, it's hard to stop.

"Hello," she says weakly, all plans of action fleeing her mind. What was she supposed to say to someone who used to be teacher? She had originally called him for comfort, but it felt needy and awkward to say something like that. She chokes out a couple words, wiping furiously at her eyes. "How have you been?"

"I've been good," he murmurs quietly as she sniffles a bit. Her skin is undoubtedly red and raw and it's one of the reasons she _hates _crying. She looks like an absolute mess afterwards, and besides…crying is weak. Patricia's never been like Mara or Amber, who were perfectly fine crying in public. To Patricia, crying was a symbol that she wasn't strong enough…it didn't make her _human_, as Joy had said, so whenever she did it, she had to hide herself. And once she started, she just couldn't stop, because it felt like _all _the tears she had ever repressed would spill out. "Patricia, are you alright?" His voice has become softer, and Patricia chokes back a sob.

"I'm alright," she mutters quietly, lying through her teeth. She catches a peek of herself in the mirror- as usual, she was right and her face was blotchy.

"No, you're not," Jason says. Has she really been that obvious; has her tone been that depressed? "What's the _real _reason you called me, Patricia?"

"Ask me questions," she says quietly, like a small child asking for a toy or such. Twisting a ring on her finger, she closes her eyes. "Make it simple again. Please."

He's silent for a moment and Patricia pauses- this is too much to ask of someone, especially someone she hasn't talked to in two years. She's a burden and she knows it, but the words keep flowing and so do those wretched sobs. "_Please_, Mr. Winkler." He hasn't been 'Mr. Winkler' to her for ages but he is now. "_Please_, you're the only one I can talk to right now, everything else is messed up a-and it's complicated and I'm _not _alright and-"

"Patricia, breathe," he instructs over the phone. "Are you well enough to walk?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that I'm on campus today…I was going to go talk to Mr. Sweet, Victor," he says. Patricia realizes with a bit of annoyance that he didn't say anything about catching up with her. "I'm not that far from Anubis House, if I gave you directions, would you be able to find me? Do you think you can do that?"

"I guess," she sniffles once more, but her tears aren't spilling anymore and she's calmed down the slightest, overwhelming curiosity being the reason. _Why _was Jason returning to this school after so long? Was he going to be her teacher again?

"Great, we can talk when you arrive. Basically, once you leave Anubis House, go left…"

* * *

"Patricia!" A smile crosses Jason's face as he lays eyes on his former student, but Patricia's reaction is different. Understandably so, as well, considering how he looks- gone is the attractive, young man they all once knew. There are bags under his eyes, his face is gaunt, his coat is tattered and three sizes too big, hair messed up, and Jason Winkler looks so generally tired that a part of Patricia looks like she wants to pretend this is all a dream. He looks down at himself and chuckles before slowly walking over so that they're a foot apart. "Hi," he smiles, but his teeth are awful looking too now, so he quickly closes his mouth. The woes of having a degenerative disease.

"What happened to you?" she remarks, never one to hold back, and Jason softens slightly. Patricia has definitely matured from the girl he once knew- now, gone are the colored hair streaks and she just looks so much more well put-together. Her face is tear stained and red, so he supposes they both look different somehow.

He doesn't want to tell her just yet, so he turns the conversation around, voice dropping an octave although no one else is there anyways. "What about you? Have you been crying, Patricia?" Jason's eyes search hers for the right answer, and though she remains silent, it's clear that he's right.

"I don't want to think about what's wrong right now."

_Oh_.

The familiar words stir something in him, and Jason obliges to her unasked demand, spewing out a question. "What's your favorite color, Patricia?"

"Red," she says quietly, not even batting an eyelash, because they've done this so many times.

"Have Alfie and Jerome still been throwing around food?" he asks, hoping to get a smile. The shrug he receives instead doesn't cut it.

"Not lately. We haven't had a food fight for a long time, actually."

"Well, that's a surprise. How about your favorite book?"

"I don't really like reading."

"Favorite music?"

"Sick Puppies."

He chuckles slightly at the title and realizes way her voice wavers at the subject. Maybe he should stay clear of music.

"Are you still doing well in school?"

"I have passing grades," she mutters, cracking a small, grim, smile, but nothing more.

"Do you think you can improve?"

"No."

"Has your life been good since I left?"

Their eyes lock for a moment and the tension is almost palpable, but Patricia looks away and says, "It's been okay."

"May I kiss you right now?"

A tense silence hangs between them as Patricia's eyes widen and Jason's stomach sinks. He's done it now- she'll never be able to look at him the same way. She already looks so surprised, and for a dreadful moment, he thinks she's going to run away. But instead, in a whisper:

"…_what_?"

"I'm dying, Patricia," he tells her, taking one of her hands in his own. The explanation he had never wanted to give to her, because…Patricia wasn't just his student. Patricia was more…Patricia was a friend…maybe Patricia was _more _than a friend. "I'm dying…I have a degenerative disease…"

"No, you don't!" Patricia's face contorts into a million expressions until the only one left is pained anger. There's a fire in her eyes as if he's betrayed her once again, and maybe he has by announcing this. It's the reason he was coming here anyway- to visit the people he cared for and shared memories with. The only reason Patricia hadn't been on the list was because Jason had thought they were still on bad terms. "What do you mean you're dying?"

"That's why I joined the society two years ago, I thought they could help me live longer, I thought-"

"What do you _mean _you're dying?" she whispers, tears strolling down her cheeks again. Warily, she steps closer, shaking her head adamantly. "You're _not _dying, Jason. Got that? You're not dying."

"I'm sorry, I didn't want to tell you."

"You _didn't want to tell me_? You wanted me to try to call you one day and get your voicemail because you died and _didn't think of telling me_?"

"Believe me, Patricia, I thought about telling you," he begs. "In fact, I thought much about telling you. And then when you called today…it was an omen. A sign, if you may."

"And what was that sign telling you?" her voice drops to a whisper and Jason realizes how close they've gotten, how there's a tear running down her cheek. Maybe he should wipe it away, but he doesn't. He lets it drip off her chin.

"I don't exactly know," he murmurs. "All I know is that I'm going to die soon…I probably have a month left, and I know this was a highly inappropriate demand I just made. You don't have to carry through with it, I get it, I was your teacher-"

And her lips are on his, her tears sliding down his face. Jason knows they can't be his- he'd come to terms with the fact he was going to die a while ago, and he didn't cry anymore. For now, he holds Patricia close to him as she keeps her mouth on his, as if it'll help him live longer. Her fingers are tangling in his hair, which has thinned due to the disease, and his arms are wrapping around her waist. They _aren't _teacher and student right now, they are equals. The kiss isn't simple or soft but the kind of desperation and fading hope, and they both try to get _closer _and _closer _because this might be the last time they see each other. And it feels so good just to be there, just to kiss her once, a dying man's wish, that Jason becomes oblivious to the outside world, Patricia filling his senses. She whispers 'you believed me' against his lips and Jason holds her tighter.

Maybe if he had pulled away earlier, he would've heard the footsteps. If he hadn't gotten so caught up in her, he might've noticed the blonde lady standing behind them.

"Kissing ex-teachers, Patricia?" she says, bringing them both away from each other. Patricia's lip stick is smudged and possibly evident on his own lips, but both are so shocked by the newcomer they don't even notice. "My, my, my, what ever are we supposed to do with _you_, dear? Such a sinner, aren't we. Wrath, jealousy, _lust_…"

And maybe they're both so numb in that moment that the blonde lady can take Patricia by the arm. Maybe Jason is still reeling from the kiss, and maybe Patricia is still paralyzed in shock with the fact that he's going to die. Either way, neither protests when the lady drags her away. Neither even seems to notice what's happening until Jason sees Patricia fade into the distance and wonders who exactly that woman is. And when he goes and consults Mr. Sweet about it, the man waves him off, and yes, of course he's curious, but by the time he goes home and passes Patricia heading back to Anubis House, she looks fine. Not angry, not upset or anything of the sort. Emotionless, perhaps.

Maybe if they hadn't met up... if they hadn't kissed… if Patricia had put up more of a fight when she got shoved into the sarcophagi… if she hadn't been so enticed by the promise of feeling nothing anymore…no pain…

Maybe she wouldn't be a sinner right now. Maybe her eyes wouldn't glow red.

Maybe she'd be able to attend Jason's funeral two weeks later.

But none of that did happen, so while Jason drifted off into eternal sleep, Patricia was off trying to collect sinners. And when she did turn back to normal, the first thing she did was scroll down the contacts list to Winkler.

"_Hello, you have reached Jason Winkler, and I must not be available right now if I'm not picking up, so leave a message and I'll try to get back to you!_"

And she knew.


End file.
